This invention relates to a remote control device suitable for application to an electronic apparatus provided with a power supply voltage stabilizing unit of switching type, and more particularly to a remote control device used for switching the power supplied to such an electronic apparatus.
Various kinds of so-called remote control devices have been proposed hitherto so that the on-off control of power to be supplied to an electronic apparatus can be carried out at a location remote from the electronic apparatus. FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, the structure of one of such prior art remote control devices. Referring to FIG. 1, a commercial ac power source 1 is connected through a switch 2 and a relay 3 to a power supply voltage stabilizing circuit 4 which supplies a stabilized power supply voltage to a load circuit 5 in an electronic apparatus. The remote control device includes a relay drive circuit 6, a remote control signal receiver 7 and a remote control signal transmitter 8. After closing the switch 2, a remote control signal which may be an ultrasonic wave signal, an infrared ray signal or any other suitable signal is transmitted from the remote control signal transmitter 8 to the remote control signal receiver 7 which acts to energize or de-energize the relay 3 through the relay drive circuit 6 thereby starting or stopping the operation of the power supply voltage stabilizing circuit 4 connected to the load circuit 5 in the electronic apparatus. Such a prior art system including a relay as above described requires means for continuously supplying an exciting current to the load circuit in the electronic apparatus to maintain the load circuit in its operating state. Namely, it is necessary to continuously supply an exciting current of, for example, about several hundred milliamperes during the operation of the electronic apparatus, and the total power consumed by the electronic apparatus increases by the amount corresponding to the exciting current. Further, the prior art device using the relay is defective in that the reliability of operation is low due to the fact that the flow of large current through the mechanical contacts of the relay accelerates the wear of the contacts resulting in an undesirable reduction in the useful service life of the relay and possibilities of chattering and other troubles.